During the break in the $1K rebuy event, David Singer offered a suggestion on a story that has gone unnoticed. David informed me that, “Jeff Madsen is the best blind player in the world.” I wasn’t aware that Jeff had any sort of problems with his eyesight, so I asked David for clarification. “We’re at the same table, and every time he played without looking at his cards during the rebuy, he woke up with a big hand.”
JS: Is it true you are the best blind player in the world?
JM: By far, by far.
JS: What’s the secret of playing blind and being good at it?
JM: Well, the key is raising blind with big hands. It’s actually not that hard, once you get to my level of ability.
JS: Have you ever played blind at a final table?
JM: Of course. I do that a lot. How do you think I won two bracelets?
JS: Can you give me an example?
JM: If action is passed to you on the button, why bother looking at your cards? Especially if you’re the chip leader. Which I usually am.
JS: What tips would you give David Singer on how to become a better blind player?
DS: I would probably be better off playing blind!
JM: (laughs) Sure. Just don’t overdo it until you have practiced for awhile.
DS: I don’t think I can do it. Are there any baby steps I can take?
JM: Sometimes you should look at only one card. If it’s an ace, you should always raise.
DS: What is someone plays back at me?
JM: If someone plays back at you, don’t look at your other card. If you do, it will probably be a four.
DS: So I should fold?
JM: No way! If you don’t look at it, the odds are it’s another ace, or every once in a while it’s a king. Instead, you should just go all in.
JS: So what were the exact hands you played blind during the rebuy period?
JM: Well, I raised to 300 under the gun without looking, another guy went all in and then the button went all in for about the same amount. I was going to call the first guy in the dark because he went all in every hand anyway, but once the other guy called I had to look. I actually had jacks, and they won against queen-nine and ace-queen.
JS: How are you sitting in chips right now?
JM: I’m in great shape. I have 20k but only had to do one rebuy when I ran aces into kings.
JS: You mean kings into aces?
JM: No, I made a mistake and looked at both cards. Because I did that he ended up hitting a set of kings. Totally misplayed by me.
JS: Alright, David, thanks for the tip about Jeff. Good luck guys. And, just so you know, I'm probably going to make up a lot of this interview when I post it on the web. I'm not kidding, so don't be surprised when you get a few phone calls or emails wondering why you said some of the stuff you did. Call it "editorializing." It's all about the readers.
